Carotid plaque imaging profiling in subjects with risk factors (diabetes and hypertension)

Abstract

Carotid artery stenosis (CAS) due to the presence of atherosclerotic plaque (AP) is a frequent medical condition and a known risk factor for stroke, and it is also known from literature that several risk factors promote the AP development, in particular aging, smoke, male sex, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, smoke, diabetes type 1 and 2, and genetic factors. The study of carotid atherosclerosis is continuously evolving: even if the strategies of treatment still depends mainly on the degree of stenosis (DoS) determined by the plaque, in the last years the attention has moved to the study of the plaque components in order to identify the so called "vulnerable" plaque: features like the fibrous cap status and thickness, the volume of the lipid-rich necrotic core and the presence of intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH) are risk factors for plaque rupture, that can be studied with modern imaging techniques. The aim of this review is to give a general overview of the principle histological and imaging features of the subcomponent of carotid AP (CAP), focalizing in particular on the features of CAP of patients affected by hypertension and diabetes (in particular type 2 diabetes mellitus).

Bidirectional link between diabetes mellitus and coronavirus disease 2019 leading to cardiovascular disease: A narrative review

“…Several studies used ultrasound to detect the rupture-prone atherosclerotic plaque and the tissue characterization of such plaque for the prevention of future cardiac events[ 205 - 207 ]. Furthermore, studies have used ultrasound-based imaging techniques for CVD risk assessment in patients with diabetes[ 187 - 189 , 191 , 193 , 195 , 196 , 208 - 212 ] and, thus, could also be adopted for diabetic patients with COVID-19. Several other imaging-based studies have shown the interaction of plaque measurements in diabetes patients[ 196 , 211 , 212 ].…”

Integrated head and neck imaging of symptomatic patients with stroke using simultaneous non-contrast cardiovascular magnetic resonance angiography and intraplaque hemorrhage imaging as compared with digital subtraction angiography

“…Hypertension is an important risk factor for clinical cardiovascular events. A study [ 44 ] on carotid arteries found that increases in both systolic and diasotlic blood pressure were associated with a range of plaque components, including IPH. Hypertension also affected vessel wall volume and fibrous cap.…”

Cardiovascular disease detection using machine learning and carotid/femoral arterial imaging frameworks in rheumatoid arthritis patients

“…Carotid and femoral atherosclerotic plaque burden is a surrogate marker for CVE, which is increased in individuals with high CVD risk [24,[26][27][28][29]. The carotid and femoral ultrasound examination in all study participants were performed using GE Vivid (Vivid E9 Ultrasound System, GE Healthcare), equipped with a linear probe-type M12L (5.6-14 MHz), as presented in our previous study [30].…”